


Hop SKip

by Kasan_Soulblade



Series: Of Shattered Glass/These Warped Perspectives [20]
Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: Board Games, Gen, Intergenerational friendship, bored people, difference between seraph and chosen explored, near end game spoilers, uneddited, will be fixing it up as time permits
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-14
Updated: 2014-03-14
Packaged: 2018-01-15 15:40:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1310158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kasan_Soulblade/pseuds/Kasan_Soulblade





	1. Yuan and Colette

Hop Skip

Intro: Yuan and Colette

Surreal, so much so it resembled a dream that was the truth of the reality before him. His –for once- clean and clear desk was covered in a travel worn and frayed cloth, small stones were piled before him, and a die was set in front of him by his "guest". Reaching out. Yuan picked up the clay die, and tossed it. It's rattle and path were stunted by the impromptu board.

"Five." He noted.

"That beats my three, I guess you go first." The blonde girl conceded with a sunny smile.

Was there ever a time she didn't smile? Rare were the instances in his memory. Picking up one of the smooth stones symbolizing a hare, he considered his strategy. He was allowed five hares, Colette would take three. A hare could go either forward or back, but only in a straight forward manners. Where the rabbits were only allowed to move at a diagonal, and they could only go forward. Of course there was the matter of promotions, if a hare survived it's soujourn across the board it became a Lord Hare and could then move from left to right as well as forward and back, if a rabbit made the trip than it was considered a Lord Rabbit and could go back and forth in a diagonal fashion.

Of course considering that the hares and rabbits of his side were going to meet head on with the Chosen of Sylvarant's, he had very little faith that they'd survive. Kratos had told him time and time again of the girl's skill with this "elementary" game. Wondering how -and even _if_ \- he was going to win. The half elven strategist who had challenged the Lord Tyrant Yggdrasil set his smooth and rough stones across the square patterned cloth, and watched with glittering sapphire eyes as the Chosen did much the same.


	2. Chapter 2

Hop Skip

Chapter 1

Of Feathers and Hops

Each was both a slow and careful player. One made so by the fact he was assimilating the rules and adapting to an alien board, the other made so by many days of practice. One was eternal and the other almost, timelessness was a state that they both embraced, or perhaps embraced them. So the thin golden beam of sunlight that fell from the sole open window traced a lazy path across the edge of the mahogany, yet neither cared nor noted the light's path.

The opening moves were timid, the hares and rabbits crept from the sanctuary of their "dens" out into the open field and slowly became to assimilate into formations.

After confirming a rule, Yuan had opened a drawer from his desk and fished out a number of feathers stored within. Seeing the soft pink feathers, so much like her own that Colette giggled.

"You collect your feathers?"

"I was suffering from a molt last month." Yuan reported coolly. "And for the sake of my dignity I find it better to gather the feathers and dispose of them myself. There are-" Yuan paused, wondered if the unworldly seeming girl would understand, then decided to temporize. "-several women within my organization who might decide to _collect_ them."

Colette considered the cryptic statement for a bit, then bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"Kratos says he gets chased by girls sometimes, that's why he won't wear swimming trunks in Altamara."

Lip quirking into a ghost of true smile, Yuan let a small chuckle slide past his lips.

"He's still having that problem?"

Colette nodded and Yuan leaned back into his padded high chair. His lips still twisted into a smirk. After a span of silence had passed, he reached out with a gloved hand and fingered one of his pieces. The Seraph hopped his rabbit over one of his own, then over two of Colette's hares. The only sound was the click of the piece tapping another piece, either indicating it's "dazed" state of its "out" state. Picking up a feather from the small pile he pulled form his desk. The Seraph set one of the rose pink feathers upon his dazed piece and watched as a very quiet Colette withdrew two of her pieces off of the board.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Hop Skip 

Chapter 3 

Dust and Seraphim-ness

"You used to make all sorts of plans and stuff when you were leader of the Renegades?" Colette asked, wincing only a little when Yuan's latest move pulled three more of her pieces off of the board. Slowly but surely Yuan's hares and rabbits were leaping through her ranks and defeating her rodent army. A mess of feathers had fallen upon Yuan's pieces, as the Seraph ruthlessly bound over his own army to get to her own.

"Yes."

The Seraph rose a slender blue 'brow, his icy eyes met her own. He was impassive, much like the angels of Welgaia he seemed to have been cast of ice. His eyes were still, never dancing with the warmth and laughter like Lloyd's would, or with the zeal of discovery like Raine's and Genis'. Regal and Presea -whom rarely smiled- even their eyes weren't still. They flickered with interest, curiosity, even if Regal's customary somberness and the scars from Presea's past kept their inner flame from shining in full.

There seemed to be no light in Yuan's eyes, only a field of blank ice. From time to time his face would twist into an expression. But the motion seemed unnatural, strained, and would slide off his face so fast that she could barely register it.

It was strange. Yuan's Seraphim-ness was somehow jarring compared to the Seraphim-ness of the Angels in Welgaia or even the Seraphim-ness of Kratos.

The Angels of Welgaia, the Angels of Martelian Heaven, were still. Like dolls, their eyes were wide and glassy, uncomprehending. They fluttered through the glass dome of the holy city, images of (if you had asked Zelos anyways) physical perfection. Soulless and mindless they could only spend their eternity gasping out in mechanical voices the policies ordered by Yggdrasil.

Kratos was so un-Seraphim like that Colette hadn't believed it when she first suspected it. Kratos wasn't like the cold distant Regal, he could –though he rarely would- smile and laugh. His voice wasn't made of ice, and he was smart, maybe even more so than the Professor. He wasn't soulless, maybe his soul was a little strange and dark, but he had one. It was his wings that had proven it. When she saw them after Luin what doubts she had wrestled with went away. Nothing mortal could have wings of light, at least if you believed in the writ of Martel.

She shivered at the memory, of the bloody twisted extremities that had come out of the mercenary's back, shivered at the pain she remembered etched on Kratos' face.

"Something bothering you, Chosen?"

Forcing a smile, Colette shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

Ice eyes met her own, and she remembered Yggdrasil. She remembered how the ice sheathed gray eyes that had shattered to reveal a storm of anger and hate for everything. Sometimes she got the same feeling when she touched the Devil's Arms, that same horrible all consuming hate that radiated from the broken hero of the Kharlan War resided in the weapons made by demons.

"Really." She insisted, squirming just a little under the Seraph's unblinking stare. "I'm fine."

"I doubt that." Yuan murmured, then he inclined his head to indicate the board. "Your turn."

As Colette picked up her piece, Yuan turned his gaze away, so not to note how the hand had trembled. It had trembled before, and to see the motion repeated would make him inquire again at the cause. She wouldn't speak, wouldn't tell him, her first answer had informed him that.

"What are you doing here, by yourself, anyways?"

"Gathering dust." Yuan replied, then seeing the Chosen's look of bafflement he mentally rebuked himself. His underlings, his mess of soldiers and captains, commanders and sub commanders, had all but made their own language from within a language. While the terms didn't sound wildly different from those used in either of the worlds, they had different meanings.

"Gatheing dust" for example was Renegade slang for waiting for reports to come in so that the person waiting could make a decision.

"Well…" Colette looked around the room, considered what she could say to that, then at last in a meek tone admitted. "You're doing a very good job of that."

" _Thank_ you, so very _very_ much."

Yuan's sarcasm went right over the girl's head. She smiled, nodded, and encouraged by his apparent _enthusiasm_ proceeded to tell him some strategies on how to make even more dust gather. Lifting an eyebrow, he radiated quiet exasperation. Still Colette didn't grasp the Seraph's subtlety. Giving up, Yuan set one elbow on his desk and set his chin on his hand while the girl's words rolled over him. He studied a point above the Chosen's head as the hints and help speech on how to gather dust went on and on.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Hop Skip

Chapter 4

A Challenge

Nine by nine, nine by two, it was a simple equation that his mind mulled over to calculate the number of spaced upon the board and the pieces he owned on it. He was over looking something, something obvious yet so abstract that his mind could not grasp it. So his surface thoughts drummed like rain against the earth, made a repetitive pounding of elementary knowledge against the clay of his mind.

This was easy, far too easy.

Gilding one of his hares, he dazed ten of his own pieces and stomped over ten of the Chosen's. The girl now only had a hare and seven rabbits. The rabbits were scattered seemingly at random, the sole hare had been the only piece in play. It's restless, repetitive; back and forth evasion had been driving the Seraph wild. A shame his move hadn't killed it… Unflinching, Colette pulled her pieces off of the board, and nodded to indicate that Yuan was to put his feather's down to indicate what pieces were "dazed".

"Kratos grossly over estimated your skill if this is the best you can do." Yuan actually indulged in a grumble. He was disappointed in how the game was turning out. Nothing short of a miracle could save Colette now, he had pieces scattered all about the board, and while some were dazed…

As he set the feathers down his disappointment faded into shock.

Some of his pieces weren't dazed, _all_ of them were. Save one, and that one had "hopped" so far out of the bounds of his territory to get to Colette's own that it was all but defenseless. Eyes wide, he set the feathers down, and Colette grinned at him, her wide live eyes glittered with mirth.

"Kratos grossly over estimated _your_ skill if this is the best you can do." Colette said, her tone becoming both deep and… pompous as she tried –and failed- to imitate his voice.

"I don't sound like _that_." Yuan snapped, lightning flashed in the sky of his eyes, his voice became a touch harsh.

"Yes you do." Colette teased. "And you know it."

Then, to put salt on the proverbial wound, she picked up that annoying, aggravating hare, hopped over her own pieces, then proceeded to decimate his downed troops. As she merrily swept every single piece –save the one isolated rabbit- off of the board she thoughtfully picked up his feathers and handed them back to him.

"You might want to play with a Renegade, or Kratos, or something." Colette told him with a smile. "So you might need them again."

Yuan snorted, but took the feathers and set them on the side of the table.

"We aren't done yet." The Seraph growled, then seeing the Chosen was going to get up muttered an indignant. "Sit."

"But you only have one piece, normally people want to quit when that happens."

"I'm not quite _normal_." The Seraph reminded her with a bitter smile. "And I'll tell you something I haven't told anyone else. I've come back from worse set backs and losses than this and _won_."

"Is that a challenge?" Colette teased, her smile still sunny and wide despite his faintly veiled frustration and surprise at the turn of game.

"Yes," Yuan replied, "it is."

"Then I'll take you up on it." The Chosen said, taking her seat once again. "I've never seen someone win after loosing all but one of their pieces before."


	5. Chapter 5

Hop skip

Chapter 6

Lifting Feathers

"So, something bad happened to you, and you lost a lot?"

Yuan nodded, he was scowling at the board, and was giving himself a headache from keeping his face locked into a single expression for a long span of time. Despite the slight throbbing between his temples he was thinking of strategies and counter strategies. Plots upon plots, he could spend as much time musing on them as he needed, considering that Colette was –at least in part- a Seraphim she had very few 'mortal' needs. So they could spend a few moments waiting while he plotted and set the first steps of his plans into motion.

"It's something of a life time trend." Yuan admitted, seeing that by talking he might distract the girl and gain some semblance of his dignity back. He moved his rabbit away from the dazed hoard of the Chosen's remaining pieces.

Yes, defiantly time to make for a mad dash to the other side of the board and get his rabbit promoted to Lord. That alone would save him.

"A life time trend?" Colette asked, cocking her head to the side, her golden locks falling shifted behind her, but unlike everyone else in the two worlds without wings, the girl's hair didn't fall into her face. Perhaps in matters of barber choice she was wiser than all the Seraph combined. Even if she was… somewhat simple….

"It's been going on for a long time." Yuan snapped. Breaking down the relatively simple phrase into terms a child should be able to grasp. With a long fingered hand he moved his piece one again. Colette, in turn, lifted a feather off of one of her dazed pieces. She could do nothing else for her turn, and made a strange noise while doing so.

The girl huffed, the exasperated sound –something besides cheer- made Yuan look up. Was that a touch of ice to her gaze, a hint of anger in her expression? The Seraph set down his last piece, then meeting Colette's eyes quirked his lips.

"You have a very interesting skill, Chosen."

Anger left her, was replaced by mortal shock at his sudden turn of subject.

"Even when I know I should respect you, I find it difficult to do so. You disarm, even when unarmed. It's an interesting trick. How do you do it?"

She looked at him, her expression clearly conveying her confusion. Then she grasped what he wanted. He watched understanding flood her face, banish the confusion. It was a subtle change, the relaxing of some face muscles, the tightening of others, the slight curl to her lips. It was all very subtle. But subtlety was the trademark of what he was. It might also be his staple, to replace his once mortal palate's empty fare.

"I'm honest."

"That's it?" Yuan snorted. "I _highly_ doubt that."

"Then you've been lying too much."

Yuan raised a 'brow, met the child's eyes, his whole aura reeking of insulted pride. She stood through that storm, unfazed, and he mulled over her words. At last, he moved his piece, she lifted a feather. He never nodded, never indicated in anyway or forum that he agreed… but perhaps she saw through his façade of silent brooding.

If she did, she said nothing of it however. Finally after all the pieces were freed and his rabbit was promoted Colette spoke again.

"I'm not really ever unarmed you know."

Yuan winced, remembering suddenly that red gaudy hammer. He remembered how thinking the girl was unarmed he'd lunged for her. In his mind there was only one thought. To trade the somehow awakened child with Pronima(sp) for Lloyd. Colette had clenched her fists, there had been a flash of light, and he had been on the ground, dazed, wondering why the hell the world was spinning.

His guards had shot forward, swords out, and two of them had been downed with inglorious 'squeaks' and frantic "sorry"s ringing in their ears.

Kratos, seeing the mayhem, had actually laughed, but had wisely drawn his sword and given Colette all the room she wanted to swing those deadly little mice hammer hybrids.

"I'd almost forgotten." Yuan admitted, rubbing his head, remembering the headache he'd gotten after that "fight".

 


End file.
